7 Days to Live

Nothing beats the late-summer drama of a baseball team battling for
a title, and that's what the first-place Colorado Springs Sky
Sox are doing during their final regular-season homestand at
Security Service Field (4385 Tutt Blvd., skysox.com). They host Salt Lake at 6:05
tonight with "happy hour" drink prices, at 7:05 Friday and Saturday
with big postgame fireworks both nights, then at 1:05 Sunday with
50-cent hot dogs. Finally, Monday through Thursday, they play 6:05
games against Portland. You'd be smart to buy in advance ($8-$11 for
adults, $6-$9 for kids, seniors and military), especially for those
fireworks nights. If you're lucky, you'll get to see the Sox celebrate
their first division title since 1997. — RR

28 Friday

wet poetry

Poetry and alcohol have pretty much always paired nicely. Consider
how master 13th-century poet Rumi got philosophical about wine. "Drink
the wine that moves you / as a camel moves when it's been untied" he
wrote in "The Many Wines." And I would advise you to drink whatever
pleases you at 8 tonight at the Modbo Gallery (17C E. Bijou St.,
633-4240), and to consider ambling about like a humped animal. (Wait,
that came out wrong ...) The new gallery is hosting its free, last
Fridays (of the month) BYOB Poetry series. Enjoy sips and local
poets' musings under the watchful eyes of many a portrait. (The
30-Day Portrait Experience, featuring works by Lindsay Hand and
Brett Andrus continues to hang through Sept. 4.) —
MS

29 Saturday

music

Alan Joseph is one of the four accomplished guitarists who
played the packed birthday tribute to local jazz legend Johnny Smith
back in June. A guitar teacher at the University of Denver, he's been
praised in the pages of Jazziz and Guitar Player and
cites artists like Pat Metheny, Weather Report and the Police as
primary influences for his own music. Tonight, Joseph will be reuniting
his '80s trio, H30 (with bassist Kirwan Brown and drummer Randy
Bowen), so we're suggesting a trip to the Modbo Gallery (17C. E.
Bijou St., 633-4240) for the second night in a row. A $5 donation is
"strongly suggested," and we hear the Modbo owners are pretty burly, so
be careful out there. On the plus side, like Friday's poetry night it's
BYOB, so imagine the savings you'll enjoy by bringing your own frosty
beverages. — BF

30 Sunday

music

If you've listened to National Public Radio's All Songs
Considered even once, you've probably heard Bob Boilen and Co. rave
about indie darlings Bon Iver. Well, All Songs contributor
Stephen Thompson claims that Sarah Siskind's version of "Lovin's
for Fools" outdoes Bon Iver's version. Shocking on its surface, but it
actually makes perfect sense: Siskindwrote "Lovin's for Fools,"
as she has songs made famous by Alison Krauss, Randy Travis and plenty
of others. Now touring behind her sixth release, Say it Louder,
Siskind brings her acoustic guitar and special guest Travis Book (of
the Infamous Stringdusters) to the Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts
(304 Hwy. 105, Palmer Lake, trilakesarts.org). Tickets to today's 4
p.m. show run $12 to $15 in advance ($15 to $20 at the door) and are
available at the center, the Wine Seller or Monument's Covered
Treasures Bookstore. — KW

31 Monday

comedy

Do you remember that one joke you told with that really zany pun
that captured all life's foibles? The one all your co-workers laughed
at, and made you feel like a god? Well, neither do they. Because it
never happened. But take that golden material you never get to use and
try it out at 8 tonight at Stand Up or Shut Up Open Mic Comedy
Night at Thunder & Buttons II (2415 W. Colorado Ave.,
447-9888). You'll likely find an honest reaction. Don't worry if you
need more time to polish your material: This 21-and-up show takes place
the last Monday of every month. No joke. — AM

1 Tuesday

film

In The Drummer, Kenneth Bi's 2007 film, a Chinese
teenager named Sid is pulled by diametrically oppositional forces: his
father's life in the Hong Kong underground and the decidedly more
spiritual but demanding and austere path of Zen drumming in the
mountains. In the trailer, this one looks like a toss-up, since the kid
appears to find plenty of drama and pretty girls in both places.
Discover which way Sid goes at the Independent Film Society of
Colorado's screening of The Drummer at Venue 515 (515
Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, ifsoc.org) at 7 tonight. Admission is $5 or $6,
no soul-searching required. — KW

2 Wednesday

state fair

Only at a state fair can you find a goat propping itself up on a
gate, staring Zen-like into the distance. You may soul-search by gazing
into the rectangular pupils of such a meditative animal, but there are
more exciting things to do now that we've reached the halfway mark of
the Colorado State Fair and Rodeo, which started Aug. 28 at
Pueblo's Colorado State Fairgrounds (1001 Beulah Ave., coloradostatefair.com). Beyond yogi
goats, a fair is only complete with screechy, rickety rides, funnel
cakes covered with breathable powdered sugar, and the best
people-watching worth paying for. And in the next few days, you can
catch music by 3OH!3, Foreigner and Darius Rucker. The fair wraps up
Sept. 7 and opens daily from 10 a.m. to midnight, with admission $8 on
the weekends and $5 on the weekdays. (Concert tickets run $20-$25 and
include fair admission.) — EA